Awakened
by Jacqlynn-Frost
Summary: An ancient evil, far older than the Man in the Moon himself, is bent on destroying the world. Only the Guardians believe that they can stop it from happening. But River, the embodiment of summer, may be the key they need. Will they all be able to work together and save the world? Read to find out. (Story better than summary. lol. . ) R&R please!
1. Summer

**A/N Hello to all of you! I didn't think I'd be writing another story for this fandom, but here we are! I've been working very hard on this so I genuinely hope that you enjoy it. There is no connection between this story and the other two that I have worked on in the past.**

 **I do not own Rise of the Guardians or it's characters. I only own this story and my OCs. Happy reading everyone!**

* * *

In the darkest, coldest corner of the world sleeps an immortal being, who's powers and madness out shadowed that of the nightmare king himself. This beings name is Erys, a hateful spirit who's only purpose is to destroy everything in her path. She once laid waste to the lands of old kingdoms and rejoiced when the world was on the brink of destruction. She used her only companion, Loralie, to lure the last humans that remained out of hiding and set upon destroying them as well. However, something happened on that fateful night that Erys did not expect. A blue orb appeared in the sky that cast light into the dark corners of the world.

The blue orb took the shape of the moon and had the power to give life to the victims of Erys's conquests. It was thought that the life brought by the moon had put an end to Erys and her reign of darkness, but it was not so. For she has been lying in wait for the day to arise when she can once again destroy the world, and change the face of the earth. Many have long since forgotten about her and the terror she brought upon all that knew of her. That is about to change.

* * *

My name is River. You've probably never heard of me, so let me tell you about myself! I'm the spirit of summer. It's my job to make sure that the summer days are longer than any other time of year. I'm also in charge of making sure all of your summer days are warm so you can spend time outside in the fresh air. I also help encourage people of all ages to experience the joy of freedom. From a child who's riding a bike for the first time, to the women staring over the edge of a cliff with her arms outstretched.

The entire world is my home, but I prefer to spend the majority of my free time by the equator. I'm not like other spirits though. If I stay in one place for too long the temperature will rise to dangerous heights. So I'm forced travel up and down the equator when I'm not working. That's why it's always so hot there. It's the only way that I can keep the majority of people safe. Besides, the equator is a great place to see people enjoying the sun.

I've been alive for a very long time. I was reborn with the ability to control fire and heat with the use of a magical pair of gloves. They were gifted to me by the Man in the Moon. When I was first born the earth was covered in ice. I was scared that I had been a mistake, because I felt like there was no place for me in this world. But in time I found my way. The first time fire struck upon the earth was because of me. I gave the gift of fire to some of the first humans to roam upon the earth, and helped them to harness it. I enjoyed seeing how they took this gift and used it to keep themselves warm on the coldest of nights. Their use of fire grew as they did. It started off as being a simple way to keep warm and then turned into a tool that they wielded.

Farmers use it to help clear their lands, and the majority of people have used it to light their homes for centuries. It's used to help diminish the waste that humans often produce, and it's still apart of some cultural rituals even to this day. I remember seeing the first show of fireworks. Ancient China used them to drive away evil spirits, and they spread across the world from there. I love watching firework shows at night. There's something about them that just captivates me completely.

I enjoy roaming wherever the days are long, and the celebrations that take place during the summer months are my favorite. I don't really have a specific 'holiday' dedicated to myself, but I don't mind. I don't like to be tied down in that sense. I'm much more happy to roam from place to place. There's so many things to celebrate during summer. I like to pop in on the parties that people have to make sure that the day is nice for them. Sometimes I sit next to people and watch the sun set over the horizon. There are no words that I can use to describe the feelings that emerge from within me when I watch the sun disappear.

I don't have much contact with other spirits. The only time I ever really meet with any of them are in the season handoffs. When spring begins to turn into summer, I work with Aster to make the transition seamlessly smooth. I do the same thing during the fall, except with the spirit of the fall. She is a prankster named Akiko. Her tricks are often compared to those of Jack Frost's. I've never actually met Jack before, as we are on two opposites ends of the elemental wheel. Being friends with him is just not in the cards. Outside of seasonal transitions, I don't visit a lot of the other spirits.

Unfortunately the entire schedule of the seasons was thrown out of whack thanks to The King of Nightmares, Pitch Black. It's been three years since he tried to destroy the guardians, but there are still some kinks in the system. I've worked my tail off to get the majority of the globe back on track, but there are a few unlucky places that spring still clings too. That's why I'm currently on my way to meet up with Aster. I need him to help pull back his own magic so I can allow mine to take it's place.

Traveling as always been easy for me to do. The summer breeze helps carry me to wherever it is that I need to go. I just have to raise my body temperature high enough to be lifted above whatever buildings or trees that I have to get past. Heat does rise after all. When I reach my destination I slowly cool down so I don't crash land. It took me ages to master that little trick. There was one time that I got stuck in a tree for three whole days. I had to wait for Akiko to come find me as it was turning to fall. It was defiantly a lessoned learned.

I gleam with excitement as the town of Burgess comes into view. The people here always get so excited when they feel summer finally breaking through after the rainy season ends. I glide throughout the town, watching people as I go. I'm headed towards the outskirts of town where there are less people. I, however, choose to steer clear of Jack's lake. If Jack is indeed here, then he'll stay where he is. We have a mutual agreement about that for obvious reasons.

I glide lower and lower until my feet touch softly upon the earth. I've landed in a clearing a few miles out of town. The smell of spring is everywhere. Flowers mingle with grass that has been laying dormant for months. The tree branches have small buds on them that are just beginning to open. Soon they'll be sprouting into leaves. Everything is so filled with life that it's almost overwhelming. It's the perfect place to start the transition of spring to summer. I walk further into the field and glance around. It seems that Aster's not here yet.

As I'm wait for him to pop up through one of his tunnels I decide to play around a little. I hold out my hand, with my palm towards the sky. A small flame wavers in the very center of my hand before it spreads outwards, reaching all the way to my finger tips. I let it burn for a few seconds before willing it back to the center of my palm. Then I make the tiny flame rise a few inches away from the leather covering the skin of my hand. I whisper softly to it and the flame grows in size until it's as big as a baseball. I twirl my fingers underneath the ball of fire making it swirl in the air. I smile at it before I allow it to settle in my hand once again. I begin tossing the ball from hand to hand.

I occasionally glance around the clearing but I still see no signs of Aster. That's odd. Usually the grumpy pooka is always relatively on time. I catch the ball of fire and slowly close my hand around it. This causes the flame to disappear from sight. I debate weather or not to stay here. I could always let the breeze carry me up above the trees and try to locate the pooka. Maybe we had different ideas of where to start spring? I shake the idea from my head. Elemental spirits can tell when we're near each other. So if he was around here I would be able to sense it. Maybe he got help up the guardians or something...

I hear a twig snap in the woods behind me. I turn around quickly with one hand ready to start throwing flames if something were to attack me. It seems silly, but not every spirit is a friend these days. A shadowy figure moves along the trees. I narrow my eyes to see who it is but the figure somehow remains illusive. Then one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard starts singing. I don't understand the words, but I'm gripped with emotion at every verse. It's like this song is the embodiment of everything that I want to see in the world.

I can't look away from the figure who continues to dance just out of sight. My hand lowers to my side and the tension drains out of my body. My right foot steps forward on it's own accord. I barely notice the movements of my body until I'm halfway across the clearing. That's when I truly notice that I'm not in control of my own body. A shock of alarm runs up my spine at the realization. I will myself to stop moving. At first my limps do not listen to me. But as I focus on clearing more and more of my mind I slow to a stop.

The singing stops abruptly and is followed by a shrill scream. The pure sound of it cause me to cover my ears. As soon as the scream started, it stops. I look back up in the direction of the figure, but I no longer see whatever that was. I don't know what's going on, but whoever that was somehow managed to put me in some sort of trance. Manny only knows what that thing would have done if I hadn't been able to break free of it.. Not cool.

* * *

 **A/N So, what did you guys think? Stay awesome!**


	2. The prankster strikes again!

**Hello lovelies! I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter of the story. I'm sorry that this one took a little longer to get up here, but I was without internet for a few weeks. Also, I'm not a pro at writing accents, but I will try my best to do them. Please just fill in the blanks. Thanks guys!**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

"Oi, what are ya standin' around like that for?" Aster yells from across the clearing. I shake my head, trying to clear the fuzziness that's still clogging up parts of my brain. What was that all about? I don't think I've ever seen a spirit with powers like that before, but it could be possible I guess. It was like she was drawing me in... But why? "Why do ya look like ya just seen a ghost?" Aster asks after I don't respond to his earlier question. He's moved across the clearing to stand beside me. Looking at him carefully I begin to tell him everything that I had just witnessed. Maybe he'll know who and what that thing was.

"She sang to ya? Never heard of anythin' like that before." He comments, eyeing me skeptically.

"It was more than just singing Aster. I felt like I was being hypnotized or something." I say, trying my best to convince him but it's obvious that he's starting to tune me out. He's already grabbed an egg and paint brush out of that pouch he likes to wear. I cross my arms over my chest and tap my foot. "You don't believe me do you?"

"Well... It's just that there's a lot of spirits, and ya don't exactly spend a lot of yer time socializing, ya know? So maybe ya just didn't recognize them or somethin'." I scoff at that response. Of all the things to say, he always decides to choose the ones that will insult me. Every. Single. Time. Not only that, but he just shrugged off the weird encounter I just had. I run a hand through my hair and continue to steam. This guy really knows how to get on my nerves!

"You are absolutely insufferable, you know that! I just told you about something creepy that happened not even ten minutes ago, and you think that I'm just imagining it? Hello, the last time that I checked there weren't any spirits going around trying to mind control other spirits!" I complain loudly. He looks up from his egg, obviously annoyed with me.

"Okay, okay. I believe ya, now will ya calm down? We have job to do here Sheila." I can tell he's just trying to humor me. He probably can't wait to be finished with me and run back down the rabbit hole. That alone would normally be enough to make me blow a fuse, but I decide to give up for now. Even if I wanted to push the issue further, there is absolutely nothing I can say that will change his mind. So I let it go. For now at least.

"Fine." I snap. "Let's just get this over with." Aster nods and puts away his precious egg. We walk into the middle of the clearing together, and I wait for him to do his part. He wastes no time getting to work. He pulls the springs influence out of a few select parts of the field, and I feel my own magic begin to flow through me. I breath deeply and let it flow outwards, infusing it with the environment. We'll start small for today and meet back up again in a day or so. If we move things too quickly then it could throw off the balance of the seasons. So we're done within twenty minutes or so after starting.

Aster doesn't bother to stay and chat after we've finished. He stays just long enough to set up when we're going to be meeting up next before he darts off back to the warren. I really don't mind as I would rather be alone right now anyway. I just want some time by myself to think about what a bizarre day it's turned out to be so far. However, I sure as hell don't want to be in this meadow any longer. Just thinking about that girl in the shadows of the tree line is starting to give e goosebumps. Standing so close to where it happened doesn't exactly help that fact either. So, without a glance around, I raise my core temperature and get carried away by the summer breeze.

* * *

 ***A few Days Later***

Okay, now things are really starting to get weird. In the past few days I've noticed that a lot of places around the world have been having shorter days than normal. The temperature has also been dropping steadily. These are all places that I've already worked my summer magic into, so this shouldn't be happening at all. When I noticed the first town, I didn't think anything of it. As I told you earlier, we've been working out a few kinks in the system ever since Pitch fell. But when I counted at least twelve different cities in all parts of the world that were having this problem, I was tipped off that something was indeed wrong.

Naturally, I assume that Akiko has just been playing tricks again. She sometimes likes to mess with the balance of things when she's bored, but I didn't think she would do it when everyone's already scrambling to get everything back on track. Then again, this is Akiko. The same spirit that thought it would be funny to try and bring fall to the Warren. She didn't get far as she was caught by one of Aster's giant Stone Egg things. Words can't even begin to accurately describe the extent of Aster's anger. I shudder just thinking about it.

Anyway, that's why I'm on my way to one of Akiko's favorite hang-outs to see if I can find her. Amsterdam. Akiko made this her home base back in the early 1900's. I think she likes it because it's just far enough away from most other spirits that she can hide out for a few days if needed. Like when she pulls a particularly bad prank on some poor unsuspecting victim. Most of the other spirits don't bother tracking her all the way back here, so it's become a safe place for her. But I'm not like the other spirits. If Akiko is indeed pulling some stupid prank that's messing up the season, then I'm going to find her.

As I soar over the streets of Amsterdam, I watch out for any signs of the prankster fall spirit. Below me, people are walking around with their families and dogs. Most of them are wearing summer clothing to help stay cool. This is a sign that Akiko hasn't pranked her own home city. One might stop to think that she would have started here and then carried onto other places. But Knowing Akiko, she probably did this only to throw people off her track. I can safely assume that she doesn't want to risk angering Aster again with this type of prank. He still hasn't calmed all the way down from her last trick.

I circle over the entire city a few times just to make sure that she isn't flying around, before I head straight to her favorite spot. It's actually a bridge above one of the many canals that run through the city. Boats are docked along either side of the canal, and trees line the pathways leading up to the bridge. The bridge itself is pretty simple. It has a simply designed iron railing on both sides, and a red brick base. There's also two planting pots filled with colorful flowers in full bloom resting on the stone walkway. It is a lovely little spot to be honest. I land quietly on the bridge, paying no mind to the people walking past.

There's a small ledge under one side of the bridge that Akiko will use to hide when she's up to something. Just in case people do actually try to chase her down. So I carefully peer over the railing, hoping to catch even a small glimpse of the autumn spirit. However, I can't see under the bridge all that well because it's too wide. I sigh to myself. I don't want to try and fly onto the ledge. It's a pretty low bridge, and I might accidently fly into the water. That's just not a risk that I'm willing to take today.

So I decide that I'll just have to do this the hard way. Without thinking too much about it, I grab onto the railing and swing one leg over the side. Once my foot is firmly in place, I swing the other leg over. Then I take a deep breath to steady any nerves I have, and grip the railing with tight fists. I crouch down a bit before I let on of my legs fall off the side of the bridge. Then the other. They hang loosely over the rippling water below, swaying ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, my hands are still gripping onto the iron bars in front of me. I feel my arm muscles begin to strain a bit from supporting my body weight, and suddenly I wonder if this was a good idea. Oh well, too late to turn back now. I slowly inch my hands lower and lower on the rails until I reach the bottom of them. Finally, I can see underneath the bridge. The ledge is decorated with a few items that Akiko has found over the years. Some of it was given to her by other spirits. I don't see any sign of the autumn spirit herself, but I figure it can hurt to get a closer look at the stuff she has down here. Maybe there's some clues or something.

Thankfully, I chose to climb down on the side closet to the ledge. So it's pretty easy to get there from here. All I have to do is start swinging my legs back and forth and just let go of the railing at the right time. With luck I won't skid off the stone ledge and into the water. As I begin swinging my legs, I feel my arms growing weaker and weaker. I bite my bottom lip and begin putting more energy into swinging. After a few more kicks I deem it the right time to let go.

I'm propelled forward onto the ledge. I automatically braced myself for a hard landing, which is one of the better decisions I've made. My knees hit the concrete first, closely followed by my right hand and left shoulder. Waves of pain and shock rattle through my bones upon impact, and my breath is knocked from my lungs. I crumple to the ground and stay there until the pain subsides enough for me to start breathing normally again. After a few minutes I sit up on the back of my calves without putting too much weight on my right arm. I look myself over.

I have pretty deep scratches on both my knees from scrapping the concrete, but I think I'll be okay in that department. However, my arm is in worse shape. It's still throbbing with pain from my elbow to my wrist. I use my left hand to gently squeeze my forearm and instantly regretted. A fresh surge of pain stings it's way up my arm. I nearly cry out from it, but I'm able to restrain myself. I decide against messing with it more. I'll have to go visit Aster to get it looked at.

Normally I'd be heading to North's place to get it checked out. But since I can't be in cold climates, and he lives in one of the coldest climates in the world, I settle with going to Aster for help. He usually doesn't mind too much, and he's actually pretty good and patching me up. He's had a lot of practice with it over the years. I had a lot of injuries when I was first learning how to fly... It actually got to the point to where Aster gave me a special flower that acted as a way for me to summon a tunnel.

He said that he was tired of always having to track me down when I got hurt. This way I could just come to him. I felt a little stupid when he first explained the reasoning behind it, but I took it none-the-less. I stopped complaining about it when I realized how nice it was to have a way to not only get help, but help from a guardian. Even if it was one who could irritate me to no end. I actually haven't used the thing in a few decades. I never bothered going to see him about small scrapes and bruises. He would just give me an annoyed look and tell me to bugger off.

However, before I summon up a tunnel, I want to check the area for proof that Akiko is indeed behind this. Then I can relax a little and track her down later. I stand up and ignore my legs when they shake a little. I quickly walk a few steps over to the few items laying around. I look at each one of them carefully before moving onto the next. I spend the next ten minutes or so looking at the things Akiko's collected. Nothing here reveals that she is in anyway responsible for what's going on. I sigh to myself. It figures. I guess I'll just have to ask around for her until she pops up. Maybe Aster has seen her around.

* * *

 **A/N There ya have it. I hope that you guys have enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see ya around. Stay awesome!**


	3. Where, oh, where is Akiko?

**A/N Hello again all you beautiful people! I really hope that you're enjoying the story so far. If you notice any really big grammar mistakes or anything like that, please let me know so that I can fix them. Thank you in advance! Also, this chapter is shorter than normal, but I just thought that it would be a good break in the story. :D**

 **Enjoy the third chapter!**

* * *

I stumble through the tunnel with as little grace as possible. My knees are still hurting a little from hitting the concrete earlier, but thankfully I manage not to smack my arm against one of the dirt walls. I'll take hurt knees over that any day of the week. As I make my way farther down the tunnel, the smell of spring gets stronger and stronger. Even though I personally prefer the smell of the summer breeze at night, I can't deny how nice the warren always smelled. When Aster wasn't getting on my nerves, or tending to one of my injuries, I would sometimes pop in to say hi. I don't visit often enough to call Aster and I good friends, but I can at least say that we are good at tolerating each other.

Plus I loved looking at the rolling, grassy hills and all of the other plant life that was kept in an eternal spring here in the warren. Flowers of every kind bloomed in a stunning array of colors. The trees always had the greenest leaves on them, as if they had just fully grown on the branches a week ago. All of the plants radiated life from within themselves. The air was slightly damp, as if it had just rained, and it only added to the soothing environment that Aster had created for himself. The entire warren screamed spring, just as much as it screamed Aster.

I shake my head to snap myself out of my thoughts. I'm getting close to the end of the tunnel. As I walk I go from stepping on dirt to grass, and the tunnel opens up to reveal the underground paradise. I glance around to see if Aster is in the close vicinity, with no such luck. However, I do hear a faint humming coming from somewhere deeper inside the warren. I begin walking towards it, even though I know that any second Aster will pop up in front of me. Because of his heightened sense of smell, he can always tell whenever I step foot into the warren. Sure enough, before I even make it five feet, Aster is standing in front of me.

"Hey." I say with an impish smile. He glances down at my knees and arm before he looking back up at my face.

"Can't ya go one day without gettin' hurt Sheila?" He remarks with a slight tint of humor in his voice. "Come on. Ya know where I keep the stuff for fixin' ya up." He motions for me to follow him as he begins walking towards his small burrow.

"I will have you know that I crash landed on purpose last time!" I say sarcastically as I walk behind him. He chuckles.

"Is that so?" He inquires. I catch up to him gently punch him with my left hand, earning another chuckle from him. "So, what did ya do this time?" He asks as we walk. I take a deep breath before I begin to recount everything that's been going on with the cities around the world. Then I tell him about how I suspect Akiko as the one who's behind the strange events, and how I went to find her. Then I told him of my epic failure at getting into her hide out. He listen quietly until I was finished, only laughing when he learned how I was actually injured.

"Now what's so funny?" I demand.

"Ya could have used a boat to get on the ledge Sheila, instead of yer daredevil tactic." He whips. I shoot a glare in his direction, because he's right. It would have been easier, and I probably wouldn't have been hurt. But I didn't think about that at the time, okay?

"Yes, haha. River is an idiot sometimes." I mock, before continuing with in a more serious tone, "Anyway. Have you seen her around?" I ask hopefully.

"Can't say that I have. But if what yer sayin' is true then she'd probably want to steer clear of me." He said. I nodded. Of course Akiko wouldn't go anywhere near Aster, especially if she is throwing off the seasons. I bite my bottom lip as we walk a few more feet in silence. Who else would know where Akiko would be? It's times like this when I start doubting my own indifference towards other spirits. I don't know if any of them would be willing to help me out, and I'm about eighty percent sure that none of them truly cared about her prank. Only seasonal spirits would understand why it's so important to make her stop doing what she is.

That's when it hits me. There's only one other spirit that might care enough to help me find her. Jack Frost. They were pretty much peas in a pod, and I know that the two of them confided in each other. So he would almost defiantly know where she's chosen to hide out. With enough leverage I can get him to tell me... Wait.. No, I can't do that. It's too much of a risk to be within a mile of the guy. So how do I go about getting the information that I need from him? I glance over at Aster...

"Hey... Would you be willing do to something for me?" I ask Aster in an overly sweet tone. He gives me a skeptical look as we approach his home.

"What?" He asks.

"Would you, by chance, be willing to.. I don't know.. Ask Jack about Akiko?" I ask quickly before smiling. Aster scoffs at my request and goes into his home to retrieve some medical supplies. When he comes back out his holding a decently sized container that North had given him to keep here. He sets the container on a rock and motions for me to sit down on another rock a few feet from it.

"Now, why would I be willin' to go talk to Frostbite 'bout Akiko?" He wonders out loud, ruffling through the container. He turns around hold a few items in his paws. I give him a stern look.

"Because this isn't just my season that's going to get thrown out of whack again. Akiko is messing with the balance, and Jack is one of the few spirits that might know where she is! I can't just go up and start talking to him!" I exclaim. Aster kneels down to start taking care of my knees. I wince a little as some anti infection is spread over the cuts. It stings a little. When Aster doesn't respond to my earlier response, I decide to try a different tactic. "Well, I guess that we'll just have to loose the past three years of work we've been doing. I'll have to extend my season to make up for the lost time, which means that Easter may be late again..." I say.

Aster's head snaps up to glare at me. I smile in victory. I knew that would make him think differently about helping me track Akiko down. He begrudgingly agrees to go talk to Jack after he's done bandaging me up. It doesn't take very long for him to determine that I've sprained my wrist. He bandages it quickly and tells me not to put too much pressure on it while it's healing. I just nod in response. After some arguing we both decide that I'll wait here while he goes to talk to Jack. So, after Aster disappears down a hole, I'm left alone with my thoughts.

* * *

 **A/N Alright guys, there it is. Again, I'm sorry that it's shorter than normal. But I may make the next chapter a little longer? I don't know how things will work out. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for reading this chapter. If you liked it, please leave a review! They keep me going as much as coffee does. Stay awesome!**


	4. Team-up

**A/N Hello beautiful people! I worked really hard on this chapter, so I do hope that you enjoy it. Also, some very important information! The part of this chapter that is in italics is supposed to signify that River is dreaming. I'll also put a reminder in bold parentheses. Also, I made this chapter just a bit longer than normal. It's not by much, but I still hope that you enjoy it none-the-less. Thank you.**

* * *

"What?" I ask Aster incredulously.

"Jack hasn't seen her for weeks." He responds. I let out a groan.

"That's just great!" I exclaim sarcastically. "Jack is one of the only spirits that would know where Akiko is. How are we supposed to fix this if we can't even get ahold of her?" I ask, beginning to pace back and forth.

"We?" Aster questioned, one of his eyebrows arching upwards.

"Yes, we. You are going to help me find her, aren't you?" I ask, standing still for a few minutes to look at him.

"I think you're makin' too big a deal out of this. Akiko will turn up eventually..." He says. I stare at him in disbelief before my face twists into a glare. How could he say that I'm making a big deal out of nothing? She's throwing off the seasons, but he doesn't seem to care about that. Maybe it's because it's not even his season that's getting messed up. Maybe he just doesn't want to get involved. Either way, I can already feel the rage bubbling up inside my chest at his refusal to continue helping me.

Without another word I turn around and stomp towards one of the tunnels. Aster says something behind me, but I ignore it. It will not be a good day for him if I stay here any longer. I need to get away and go somewhere safe to let off some steam. After I calm down I can continue looking for Akiko on my own. I don't know where to go from here, but I'll be damned if I let this get any more out of my control than it already is. When I do finally find her, I am going to force her to reverse what she's done. After that I'll make sure to wring her neck until she promises never to do something so stupid again.

* * *

 ***A day and a half later...***

This seems so pointless! I cannot seem to find Akiko anywhere, and I've looked pretty much every where. I even swallowed my pride and asked a few other spirits if they've seen her around. All of them have said that they didn't. At least, not recently. I keep hitting brick walls no matter how hard I look for her, and I'm pretty much exhausted at this point. My head is pounding and I haven't even been doing my job because I've been too focused on finding Akiko. I just don't get how she could have just vanished! She's never been this hard to find before.

I went from a strong determination to pure exasperation within the span of 24 hours. I just need a short break from this whole thing while I recharge my drive to find her. That's why I'm currently flying over the islands of Hawaii, looking for a decent place to land. I settle for landing near the peak of the volcano in Mauna Loa. I sometimes like to come here when I need a break from life. It's easier for me to stay near a volcano and not hurt to many people due to rising temperatures.

I walk around for a little while as I clear my mind of everything that's been happening. After about half an hour I have destressed enough to finally be able to get a little rest. I find a good place to lay down. It's not exactly comfy, but I'm used to it. It's not like I've ever really owned a bed before so I wouldn't really know much of a difference anyway. I tell myself that I won't lay down for long. I just need enough sleep to get my drive back in gear. My eyes close and before I know it I've fallen into a deep sleep.

 **(Dream sequence.)**

 _My eyes open to find myself... Somewhere. I can't really tell where I am because of the darkness cloaking everything. I can't even see my hand in front of my face. I try taking a step forward, but I find myself stuck. My leg isn't responding to my brain. I try again but get the same results as before. I feel the beginnings of panic creeping up into my chest, settling there like a heavy rock. I try to force myself into being calm as I twist my upper body around to see if I can see anything._

 _No such luck. There's nothing but darkness in every single direction. The panic in my chest grows bigger. Without thinking too much about it, I try to lift myself up off of the ground. I feel my body giving off so much heat that I would have given any human a very bad case of heat sickness. Or possible even have killed them. However, I find myself still glued in place. I can feel my panic fully taking over me. I recklessly raise my body temperature until it's surly past 140 degrees Fahrenheit._

 _My struggling comes to an abrupt halt when I hear something echoing to me in the distance. As I go still, the abyss is deadly silent. I strain myself to hear something. Anything. If someone else is trapped here maybe we can figure out a way to get free together. I try to call out to them, but my voice is sucked up by the void. It's almost like I'm in dead space. I don't even make a sound. That's when I feel something brush up against the back of my left arm. I twist around quickly, trying to get a glimpse of whatever it was. But I still can't see anything._

 _"Who are you?" A breathy voice whispers into my ear. I gasp, my eyes widening. I start struggling to free myself once again. Adrenaline is pumping through my body but it does me little good. Who ever this person is, they aren't going to let me leave. But I can't just let this happen. I have to try and get away. That's when I feel icy cold fingers circling my neck. I instinctively try to use my hands to tear the hands away from me, but my entire body has been paralyzed now. I realize that I'm going to die here and there's nothing that I can do about it._

 _The fingers tighten their grip around my throat until I can no longer breath. Tears begin to sting my eyes as I feel myself fading. My brain is shouting at me to suck in air. But I know that I won't be able to. I already know that I'm going to die here. Alone and defenseless. Somewhere in the back of my brain, I can hear the same being laughing at my destruction._

 **(End of dream sequence.)**

"River! Wake up!" My brain barley registers the voice yelling at me or the hands shaking my limp form. My body feels sticky and gross from sweat. My clothes cling to me in the most uncomfortable way. I'm practically painting for air as my lungs burn. My hands reach for my throat as my pulse races with the panic that's still consuming me. I can still fill the coldness of that _thing's_ fingers. I open my eyes and try to find the source of the voice that is still calling out to me. The brightness of my surroundings is blinding at first. I blink my eyes a few times before my vision finally clears up enough for me to make anything out.

The first thing I see is the worried expression on Tooth's face looking down at me. Why is Tooth in Hawaii? I furrow my eyebrows together and slowly sit up. My head pounds as I do. I move my hands to my temples and rub them to ease some of the pain as I look around. That's when I finally notice that I am not, in fact, still on the volcano of Mauna Loa. I'm lying one the floor in one of the open walled rooms of Tooth's palace. Her fairies are all skittering around and chippering to each other.

I look around further to find most of the other guardians standing a little farther away from me. Every one of them except for Jack, and the Sand Man. Both Aster and North are giving me a similar expression to Tooth. I lower my hands and throw a glare towards Aster. I'm still angry with him for blowing me off yesterday. He doesn't seem to care about my dirty look though. Which makes me get back to the situation at hand. Why am I sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by guardians? I pull my legs towards me and situate them in the criss-cross position. I focus my attention towards Tooth.

"What's going on?" I ask. My voice is scratchy and strained. Tooth looks over her shoulder at North, who nods his head. She sighs and looks back at me.

"We don't really know yet. It's been brought to our attention that multiple spirits have gone missing. We've searched everywhere and we can't find them.. Akiko was the first to go missing, as you already know. When we first caught wind of this, Bunny said that you were looking for Akiko. So we came to find you to see if you had found anything out. After searching for a few days with no luck we had thought you had gone missing too. That's when we found you at the volcano." She finished.

"Wait, a few days? That can't be.. I was just talking to Aster about this yesterday." I say. My voice sounds a little better. Aster takes a step forward.

"That was nearly a week ago Shelia." He informs me. My mouth opens in disbelief. A week? I've been asleep for a week?! I curse myself for falling so deeply into sleep. I've lost an entire week of search time. I might as well be starting from square one! I groan to myself.

"That's great. Just grand." I complain out loud.

"I can see that you're still out of it.. But we really do need to know if you've found anything." Tooth says. My face twists back into a glare. I look back up at the three of them, but mostly Aster.

"I told you that something was wrong.. I tried to get you to help me, but _you_ blew me off. Told me I was making too big a deal out of it! Why on earth would I help you after that?!" I exclaim. Aster's face contorts. I can tell I've started to piss him off, but it's clear that he's trying to hold back the frustration. I'm not. I stood up.

"River, please. I'm sure Bunny didn't mean to do that. You know how Akiko is..." Tooth said as she tried her best to diffuse the situation at hand.

"Yes, we all know that Akiko likes to hide out when she's done something wrong. But when I went to this so called guardian for help he turned me away. He only cares now because more than just some prankster has gone missing!" I exclaim. That seems to have pushed Aster over the edge.

"I turned _you_ away? You were the one who ran off in a huff when I merely suggested that Akiko might just be avoidin' ya. Why do ya care that much anyway? It's not like she really means anything to ya." Aster says. He changes his stance into a more intimidating one, but I'm not threatened by it.

"I care more about her than you!" I say, clearly irritated. Tooth is now standing off to the side. Some of the fairies are hiding behind her. I ignore her and continue, "Do you even really care about anything besides your stupid holiday? You treat people as if they are all mere inconveniences!" I accuse. Aster grinds his teeth together and begins to walk towards me. He's stopped my North, who stands in between us with his back towards me.

"Enough! Now is not time to fight with each other." He says. Aster and I continue to glare at one another, both daring the other to speak first. Finally Aster sighs and looks at North.

"Fine, but don't think this is over." He says. The last part is more for me than anybody else. I can't be bothered to care though, because I agree completely. I have a feeling that I'll need to find someone else to fix me up whenever I get hurt. I don't think I'll be able to be in the same room with him after all of this is over. I huff and give a small nod to let the others know I'll comply for now.

"Now, River, tell us. What have you found out?" North asks. He turns halfway so he can see the entire group, though he stays in-between Aster and me.

"I.." I briefly pause. "Nothing. I haven't found anything that will be helpful." I say finally. Tooth sighs.

"This isn't good. Are you sure there's nothing that could be even remotely connected to this?" Tooth asks desperately. I bite my lip and think. The only other thing that's been weird is that encounter I had in the meadow the other day. I feel like it's important to what's going on, but I don't know how.. Maybe they will? I take a deep breath and explain the odd girl, her song, the trance she put me in, and her shrill scream when I managed to break free. Everyone is silent while I tell them about it. After I'm done I look hopefully to North. "Do you know who she is?" I ask. I figured that he would know since he keeps a list of spirits to give presents to on Christmas.

"I have never heard of this spirit. If we knew name, we could find her. Perhaps Man in Moon knows." North says.

"Oh, yes! We should probably talk to him anyway, just to fill him in on what's going on." Tooth says. Her fairies are no longer hiding behind her. Instead they chirp in agreement.

"I think he already knows.. He does kind of see everything, you know." I say sarcastically as I prepare to leave the guardians to their investigation. I don't see why they would need me here any longer. They already have their information. I begin to raise my body temperature, but stop when Tooth places a hand on my shoulder.

"You're not leaving are you?" She asks. I toss her a confused look. "It's just that you might be able to help us.. You were the one who had that weird encounter after all. Plus you might remember something else useful." Tooth explains. Now it makes sense. They want to use me! Well, okay. Maybe not use me. Besides, it may not hurt to have a little help from the guardians. Even if one of them is Aster. I let my core temperature return to normal, and compose myself the best that I can.

"Okay. I'll help you guys." I take a look around the room. North has a very pleased expression on his face, while Tooth looks mostly excited. Aster looks annoyed and grumpy, but he doesn't object. I wonder if this might have been a bad decision after all. Let's just hope that both Aster and I survive until the end of this whole ordeal.

* * *

 **A/N There ya go. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, I want to give a special shout-out to onthenilerivah. Thank you so, so much for taking the time to read this work of mine. I want to dedicate this chapter to you my dear. If any of you other beautiful readers have a tumblr I highly recommend you go follow her. She posts amazing things and is a writer herself. Please go check her out. Until next time, stay awesome!**


	5. Caves n' stuff

**A/N Hello again! Shout out to all my readers in Idaho! Let me know if you've ever visited the 17 mile cave. I haven't been there in years! lol. Also, please ignore my poor accent writing skills, and unsuccessful attempts at humor. A pro writer I am not. Anyway, enjoy the chapter guys!**

* * *

This is probably the worst decision that I've ever made in my entire life. I can already feel myself starting to regret it, but I'm urged on by the fact that we need to start the search somewhere. After telling everyone about my weird dream, North suggested that we start looking in places where the sun doesn't shine. It got a little hard being around these guys for awhile when we all started arguing about where to go first. To be honest I blocked a lot of it out, but I just wanted to start looking. They were not helping! So I finally closed my eyes and just pointed to a random spot on the map. Which ended up leading us to the 17 mile cave in Idaho.

That's why I'm currently standing in front of a small opening to the underground cavern. All around our tiny group is a bunch of sage brush and sandy looking terrain. The ground is broken up by dips and hills that go on in every direction. Bugs buzz around us insistently, making us slap ourselves every now and then. There's a few cars parked by the road a short distance away. I guess some people are already here, which isn't too surprising. I've heard that this becomes a very popular teenage hangout during the summer.

"So, any volunteers to go first?" Tooth asks. None of us even pretend to think about going in first.

"Why not have Aster do it. He's had plenty of practice running into holes." I say sarcastically, but nobody laughs. Instead I'm treated to a first rate glare from the pooka.

"Someone please tell me why she's here?" Aster asks impatiently. "Besides, this was your idea. You should go first." Bunny says and I sigh. He does have somewhat of a point... North and Tooth exchange looks between each other. They are, no doubt, trying to figure out if Aster and I will start bickering again.

"Anyway, do you want to go first?" Tooth asks, directing the question towards me. I sigh.

"Fine. I'll go first, but you guys had better be right behind me!" I say, holding a single finger towards them. Everyone nods in response. As I look around the group, I can't help the small chuckle that finds its way out of my chest. We must all look like preteens who've stolen our first beer and are daring each other to take the first sip. My mind wanders when I'm under stress! Nobody bothers asking me what I'm laughing at and I'd rather not explain. Instead, I take three steps towards the cave and crouch down. I groan as soft, throbbing pain winds up from my knees. They're still pretty sore from my concrete escapade the other day.

The entrance is really tiny and well blended into the landscape. If we hadn't been actively looking for the thing, I'm pretty sure that we would have missed it. I'm going to have to slide in feet first. I'm sure that you can imagine how excited I am about that... Hopefully I won't slip and tumble down into the unknown. With my track record, that's an actual possibility. I brush off my thoughts and sit down on the ground. I scoot closer to the opening and put my feet into the cave, feeling for a sturdy foundation. I find it without too much effort, and breath deeply before sliding myself into the hole. The smell of damp earth hits me like a ton of rocks. I can hear laughter coming from deeper within the cave.

At first I'm unable to fully stand up because of the narrow passage. I take a few more steps in the forward direction, however, and I'm able to fully stand upright. I look behind me at the cave opening. Light's spilling inside, illuminating the sharp rocks scattered throughout the first few feet of the cave. I see two feet sliding in the same way mine had just minutes before, blocking some of the light. Then Tooth is climbing down the steep incline. She nearly bumps into me before she stops and turns around to wait for the others.

Aster gets into the cave rather quickly, easily climbing down past the rocks. I knew he should have gone first! I think about making a snarky comment, but decide against it. I've been scolded enough for right now. Aster stands beside Tooth, but he doesn't look at the entrance to the cave. Rather, he looks into the darkness. His eyes squint as he tries to find a source of light inside the cavern. Part of me begins to wonder if anyone thought of how we're going to be able to see down here. I'm not able to ponder on that for very long, however, when I notice that North is having some trouble getting inside the cave.

He's able to get up to half of his calves inside, but it doesn't look like he'll be able to squeeze through. He readjusts himself a few times to see if different angles will allow him to gain access. They don't. I debate on weather or not to try and pull him in, but decide against it. Better not take the chance on him getting stuck with nobody on the other side to pull him back out. I begin to feel my nerves picking at me as I think about being stuck in this cave forever, but I shake it off. Not even my luck is that bad. Besides, we would find a way to work around it.

"North, why don't you go check in on Jack and Sandy? We can handle this down here." I say. North stops struggling and gives a grunt in agreement. Before I know it he's gone, leaving the three of us to find our way through the cavern. I turn back around to look at my fellow cave buddies. Tooth is still standing beside me and I can just barely make out Asters silhouette in the distance. Tooth looks rather nervous, and I wonder if she has a problem with the dark or small spaces. Aster is looking all around him, ears twitching as he hears different sounds. He makes his way back towards us after a few minutes of searching.

"We're not gonna be able to see anythin' in here. It also sounds like some kids are havin' a party further in. " Aster announces. I knew that no one bothered to grab a light before we came. Aster clears his throat after a second of silence. "I do have one idea though. River can use her fire to light our way." He says gruffly. I blink a few times. That's.. Actually a pretty good idea. I have to give him credit for thinking of it before I did, not that I'd actually say that out loud. I do have my pride to think about here.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm just the flashlight to you?" I ask, holding up my hand. A small flame jumps from my skin and hovers in the air before growing in size. I will it to grow until the flame completely engulfs my left hand. A faint light casts shadows around the cave. I'm not sure if it makes it creepier in here or not.. "That should be good enough, right?" I ask, looking at Tooth. She's not paying me too much attention as she looks around the cavern, but she gives me a nod anyway. I sigh and take a few steps deeper into the darkness. Tooth stays pretty close to me while Aster dares to venture farther ahead of us. I don't complain. The more space we have between the two of us is probably for the better.

The three of us start a steady pace towards the end of the cave. We all keep an eye out for anything suspicious. It's actually harder than I thought it would be. How can you find something when you don't really know what you're looking for? The only thing we do manage to find is some old beer bottles, a few abandoned campfire spots, and a small group of rowdy teens. Nothing's down here. This whole thing was a bust, but at least we know where _not_ to look, right? When we finally reach the end of the cave we all have the same exasperated look on our faces. Without saying anything to one another, we turn around and make our way back to the cave's opening. By the time we emerge the sun has almost set, and North is waiting for us.

"Ah, did you find anything?" North asks. Tooth and Aster shake their heads as I extinguish the flame that's still clinging to my skin. North sighs in response to our bad luck. "Neither has Jack or Sandy." He informs us. Great, we're officially where we started. Some great detectives we are..

"So what now?" I ask after a moment.

"I don't know. There has to be a clue somewhere that we're just not seeing!" Tooth exclaims.

"I think we should regroup. We need to look closer at each of the spirits disappearance. There has to be a connection between them." I think out loud. North strokes his beard and nods.

"Is good idea." North agrees. "Let's go back to Warren and start looking for more clues." I hold back a groan. I don't really want to spend any more of my time in the Warren. Not after what happened the other day. However, I don't have time to object as, without warning, Aster opens up a large tunnel that swallows all of us in one gulp. As I slide along the way with the others I wonder how I let myself get roped into helping these guys...

* * *

 **A/N There you have it. I'm sorry if this chapter was a little more boring than normal. I was going to go somewhere else with this, but the chapter ended up doing it's own thing.. It was written at three in the morning and I hadn't slept in almost 24 hours, so leave me alone! lol. ;) Also, I'm really struggling with North's accent. I can't write without making him sound like a caveman... I need sleep. Stay awesome!**


	6. Like a moth

**A/N Hello again all of my lovely readers! I hope that you are doing well. ^.^ Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I may not be updating as frequently starting this Monday. I am starting a new job, so I might be a little busier. Anyway, enjoy the six chapter!**

* * *

We've been in ourlittle 'huddle' for nearly three hours now, but we have yet to actually connect any dots between the disappearances. It just all seems completely random to me, and maybe it is. There isn't even a trail that we can follow. Not one shred of actual evidence that we can use to figure out who's behind this. Who says that you need to have a clear objective when you go around kidnapping spirits anyway? Oh that's right, no one. Because usually spirits don't take other spirits hostage! That's assuming that everyone on our missing list is still alive. I hope for Akiko's sake that they are.

After the first hour or so, I realized how we are getting pretty much nowhere this way. Plus everybody's near constant bickering about what to do next was starting to get on my nerves. But no one wants to make a move until we have a plan to go on. So no matte how much I complained, I'm not getting out of this room until somebody's light bulb turns on. That's why I walked to the far side of the room and plopped myself down on the floor. I always think better when I'm alone. I just don't know how much more of this 'team-work' I can take.

"There has to be something!" Tooth exclaims, pulling my attention back to the group.

"I'm tellin' ya, there's not." Aster replies. "We'll have to figure out some other way to go 'bout this."

"We've been over this! There is no other way besides just randomly picking places to search." Tooth counters, throwing her hands up in the air.

Oh, we're back to that again. It's probably the third time it's been brought up since we've got here, but I'm sure we'll fail to come up with a better idea this time too. I've pretty much given up on our detective skills. Sherlock Holmes, we are not. Instead of focusing on our inevitable failure to come up with a way around our problem, I just stare at a random corner of the room. There's not a whole lot to look at besides some boxes stacked against the far wall. Apparently this is where Aster started storing things after the guardians stopped having regular meetings here a few decades back. Besides the boxes, there's only a few lights here and there.

My gaze goes to the ceiling as I become hyper aware of a soft thudding. I blink a few times as I witness a single moth trying to get as close to the light as it can. It keeps bumping up against the light's cover, causing it to be knocked back a few centimeters. This isn't phasing the moth though. If anything it's just making it try harder! Watching the insect makes me think about the strange encounter I had in the meadow the other day. I kind of know how the bug feels. We were both drawn in by something that we can't quite put a finger on. The only difference between the bug and I is that I was able to break away.

Wait... I think I may have just stumbled across something absolutely brilliant! The light is acting as a lure, drawing the moth in. With the girl in the meadow, I was the moth. That must be how she's kidnapping people without anyone noticing! They go willingly because they don't have a choice. That's what she must have been doing while she was singing. Just like a siren. What if we could somehow flip that around to use her own power against her? The only thing we would really need is someone who's willing to be the moth. I quickly stand and make my way across the room to the other's, who are still arguing.

"Guys!" I say, yelling over their voices. Everyone goes quite as they look at me. "I have an idea."

"Well, don't keep us waiting. We've already wasted enough time as it is!" Tooth says, obviously relieved to finally have an idea to run with.

"Instead of us finding her, let her find us." I say, gesturing with my hands.

"What do you mean?" North asks, a confused expression taking over his face.

"Well, what do we know? First: Spirits have gone missing all over the world, but they tend to have home bases in bigger cities. Second: Whoever's causing all of this has the ability to lure people to her, like a moth to flame. So I suggest that we use this against her. Let her find us. We can have someone be the 'moth' that pretends to get lured in, while the rest of us will be hidden nearby. That way we can pounce at the first opportunity we get!" I explain, practically jumping at how excited I am.

"Who exactly do ya have in mind to play the moth?" Aster asks and I glance at him. His arms are folded across his chest as he waits for me to come up with an answer. I bite my bottom lip as I think.

"Well.. Maybe we could have Jack do it.." I wonder aloud. Everyone gapes at this.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tooth asks, bringing her hand to my forehead. I swat her away as she goes on to say, "You usually steer clear of Jack, and for good reason. If one of you loses control of your powers..." Tooth trails off.

"The other one will die. I know, but I don't think we have much of a choice here. Besides, we would probably have to bring him and Sandy along anyway. Who knows how strong this thing is." I say. The guardians all look nervously at one another. North stokes his beard as he thinks, before he claps his hands together.

"Is simple. Jack stays on one side of trap, you on other. No mingling!" He says with a satisfied grin. "Agreed?" He asks the room. I nod first. Tooth is a little more hesitant, but she agrees to it none-the-less. Aster, however, seems to still have a problem with the plan. I don't have to ponder on it too long though.

"Do ya have a plan to keep us all from getting sucked in by her singin'?" He questions, and I feel some of my excitement fading away. "If we don't find a way 'round this, then it'll be too dangerous." That's... a pretty good point that I didn't think about. Though, I give Tooth credit when she's the first one to pop up with an answer.

"We can use earplugs of some sort for that." She says confidently. "It should work as long as they are secured properly."

"Any more questions?" I ask. Everyone shakes their head in response. "Then it's officially a plan."

* * *

 ***One jump cut later.***

The wind tugs at my hair as I walk next to Aster. After some more debating, we decided that our trap would take place in Orlando, Florida. It's a big enough city to attract our kidnapper, and a spirit hasn't even gone missing in the area yet. So we deduced that this might be a very possible target for her. Of course, we're still shooting in the dark but you work with what you've got. Speaking of working with what you've got, we also decided that we would be more effective if we split off into teams. This way we can cover more area and have a better chance of actually getting our hands on the girl.

Now I don't know exactly how it was decided that Aster and I would be paired up, but I didn't have much too time to complain. Before I knew it were already making our way here, while the other two went to get Jack and Sandy. Aster and I still aren't talking. The tension between us is still pretty thick, not that either of us have been very willing to try and make amends. I've actually calmed down quite a bit in the past few hours, but I still feel a little angry when I think about how much he let me down in the past week or so.

I would say that I'm more upset by the fact that I can't banter with him like I used to. I haven't let myself give into that particular urge because I didn't want things to just be swept under the rug. Nothing ever gets fixed that way, in fact, it makes it so much worse. So I've been holding back when I've wanted to joke with him, or tell him about some new thing I've discovered. I really do miss seeing that smile he wears, or having him tease me about getting hurt. Our relationship may not have been much, but he's probably the closest thing that I have to a real friend.

"Smoke's comin' out of your ears." Aster comments, breaking the silence we've had between us. I curiously quirk an eyebrow at him. "You know, 'cause your thinkin' too much?" He says, testing the waters. That's when I realize that he's trying to make a joke. I look away from him and pretend to scan the area.

"I've had a lot to think about lately..." I respond. Aster sighs.

"Listen' Shelia, I know that I should have listened to ya the other day. I am sorry 'bout that, believe me, but ya gotta look at it from my angle." He says. I don't know weather I should accept his apology or not, but he does seem genuine about talking. So I allow myself to finally glance back at him without a single snarky comment or a glare.

"Part of me does get where you were coming from. I just.. I needed somebody to help me, and you're the only one I could go to for help." I tell him.

"If I could go back I would help ya in an instant. I guess I was too blinded by all of my other responsibilities to see what was really goin' on." Aster says. I didn't think about that when I had asked him to help me. Maybe I was just as blinded by my quest to find Akiko?

Looking at it from Aster's perspective I can fully understand why he 'blew me off'. With the strange encounter I had, he was right. I don't socialize with many other spirits. It could have been very possible that I was just being pranked by some spirit that was testing out their powers. Of course I wouldn't have been able to really know who they were. Plus the whole Akiko thing is also very logical thinking on his part. Akiko has been known to straight up disappear, and we didn't even know that those two events were connected until just recently. I kind of feel like an ass now.

"I'm sorry. I know that you were trying your best to help me. I should have just kept it to myself until I knew what was going on, or until I had more evidence." I say. We've stopped walking, and are now facing each other.

"I don't want ya to feel bad for comin' to me. It's part of my job too, ya know? Besides, I like it when ya come around. You're pretty okay when you're not yellin' at me." He says, rubbing the back of his neck. I smile at him for the first time in what feels like forever.

"Why don't we just put this whole thing behind us? It's getting pretty hard to stay mad at you." I respond, holding out my right hand. He grabs it with a paw and we shake on it before we both laugh softly at ourselves. We start walking again as we begin to joke back and forth. I have to say that I feel better now that we've talked it through. Perhaps it was a good thing for the two of us to be paired up after all.

* * *

 **A/N I hope everyone enjoyed! This chapter was just a tad bit longer than normal. Not by much, but eh. Stay awesome!**


	7. Moth meet flame

**A/N I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The concrete of the roof scraps against my already battered knees, making them sting. I ignore it though. My attention is thoroughly captivated by the goal in front of me. Aster and I are situated on top of a five story building overlooking a small park. We had to crouch down to hide ourselves from view. Tooth, North, and Sandy are on the opposite end of the park, hiding among the trees. Jack is walking in a large circle. Every now and then he frosts up some poor tree. This is the first time I've ever been this close to him. I hope that he is as in control of his powers as I am, otherwise this will end badly for one of us.

After we had all secured our earplugs we sent Jack out into the open. Jack is the only one who doesn't have anything to protect himself against the sirens song. The guardians explained that he needed to be fully unprotected to lure her into our trap. He seemed to be against it at first. I can imagine why, but he calmed down a bit when we told him that we would be just out of sight. That way we could easily get to him if something went wrong. Now we just have to wait for our fish to bite the bait that we've laid out for her.

The park is completely deserted, which isn't surprising seeing as it's around three in the morning. There are a few street lamps scattered throughout the park, casting a soft yellow light onto everything. There's a small playground in the middle of the park. It's not much. Just a few swings, a slide, and a jungle gym. A stone path weaves it's way around the entire perimeter of the park. There's a couple of benches on either side of the path with trash cans cemented in place beside them. The park itself is fairly small, but that's okay. It serves our purposes well enough.

I wonder if anybody else is getting as stiff as I am from staying so still. It's only been about forty minutes or so, but it's the longest time I've ever _not_ moved. The backs of my calves are really starting to ache and I want so badly to stretch out my legs. It only makes things worse when I know it's a scratch that I can't itch. I don't even dare to breath too loudly. We have to be the epitome of stealth in order for this to work. If only I hadn't chosen to sit the way that I did... Oh well. Not much I can do about it now.

Jack's walking towards the center of the park again. He ducks under a few low-hanging tree branches and causally leans up against the jungle gym. One foot on the ground, the other pressing against one of the bars behind him. His staff sits delicately on his shoulders. A pale hand ruffles his white hair while the other holds his staff in place. I wonder to myself if he feels self-conscious knowing that others are watching him like a hawk. I probably would be feeling something to that effect if our roles were reversed, but he looks so nonchalant about it. Maybe he's better at hiding his nerves than I am.. My thoughts are starting to get away with me again. I mentally scold myself and focus my energy back into observing the area.

Jack's still leaning against the jungle gym. His lips are poised in a small circle, and I believe he's whistling to himself. It's hard to actually know since I have two ears full of cotton, but I think I'm right. His expression goes from being somewhat bored to a look of utter bewilderment. He looks to his left and all of the tension is gone from his body. I follow his gaze but whatever he's looking at is blocked by a tree. I furrow my eyebrows and lean a little closer to get a better look. I can barley make it out, but standing by the swing set appears to be a women. The same women I encountered just days before. Her lips are moving wordless, and she's beckoning for Jack to come to her with her hands. This is it!

I don't have to bother motioning for Aster to start moving. He's already gone when I turn to look at him. I spot him jumping down onto patios and finally the street below me. I don't want to get left behind so I stand up as fast as I can and jump off of the roof. I let myself freefall for a split second before I catch a ride on the wind. It helps me slow down enough to hit the ground safely. I literally hit the ground running, racing to reach the women. The other three in our group are also making their way to her as fast as they possible can.

Aster is the first to get to her, no surprise there, and he starts throwing his egg bombs. Tooth is the second one to arrive, but she doesn't start attacking the women. Instead, Tooth tackles Jack to the ground to stop him from reaching the siren. Jack attempts to get back up, but Tooth is determined enough to keep him pinned on the ground. The rest of us arrive at about the same time. We don't waste a single second as we all begin to do everything that we can to distract her long enough to stop her from singing.

Sandy's dream sand is now flying in every direction, meanwhile North is pulling out his sword. I dodge their attacks well enough to be able to get in between this women and Jack, who's still struggling to free himself. I can see that she's still trying to sing, but something about her demeanor has changed. She doesn't look like she's trying to call Jack to her.. No she looks like she's getting ready to fight back. I hesitate, which proves to be a mistake. A trail of ice shoots by me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

I look behind me, but I don't have longer than a few seconds before I dodge out of the way of another attack. She's using Jack as a weapon?! I'm proven to be correct as I watch Jack continues to aimlessly direct frozen projectiles from his finger tips. Every time Jack does this he's driving us farther away from the women. Tooth is still struggling to keep him on the ground, but she's not in control anymore. Jack throws her off of him and freezes the ground around them. Tooth moves to run away but is stuck to the ground. Ice has formed around her wrists and legs, keeping her in place.

She looks up at Jack in absolute horror as he calmly walks towards her. I watch in bullet time as he draws his hand back to prepare for his final attack on Tooth. I scream at him to stop and I'm completely filled with terror. She can't die because of this! If she dies tonight it will be my fault! I can't let her die! I don't even think as I hold up my hand and let the magic flow through me. Within seconds an extremely hot fireball is hurling towards the two of them. Jack's head snaps around and he just barely dodges the attack. It lands somewhere behind the two of them.

Jack turns fully around to make his way towards me, leaving Tooth forgotten on the ground. She still looks horrified by what was about to happened. I see North rushing to help her out of the ice before I glance at the spirit stalking towards me. I start running away from him as quickly as I can, dodging behind anything that will shelter me from his ice. I don't attack back. If I can help it I would rather not have anyone die tonight. So I decide that the next course of action is going to have to be to get that siren to stop singing!

I peer out from behind a tree with a rather large trunk. I can see Jack waiting for me to start running again, and I know that it's now or never. What happens next may very well be the last thing I ever do, but I can't let the guardians clean up a mess that I helped create. I have to try! I take a deep breath and make a b-line for the women. My entire body burns with exhaustion, frustration, and heat. The two of us stare intensely at each other as I push myself to run faster. Out of the corner of my eye I see Jack sending projectiles my way.

I grimace and prepare myself for the impact, but it doesn't come. Shocked, I glance to my right and see both Aster and Sandy knocking the projectiles away from with their own weapons. Relief and hope flood into my chest. I skid to a stop a few feet away from the women, breathing heavily. She looks at me with dead eyes as she continues to sing. I try to move in on her but I'm blocked by a stream of ice that Jack shoots between us. Okay, I've had enough of this and now I'm just getting angry.

With some effort, I begin to summon a wall of fire to cut through the ice in front of me. Then I focus my energy on creating a giant circle of fire around the siren and I to block Jack from interfering again. I allow it to begin twisting in a circle, creating a flaming vortex. It's her turn to look angry I guess. She keeps singing as I move closer to her and holes begin appearing in the firewall around me as Jack tries to take it down. The holes close up just as quickly as they appeared. I am ending this. Now.

I close the distance between the two of us quickly. I'm not afraid of what she might be able to do. I just want this whole thing to be over with. I pull back my hand and think conjuring up a little more fire, but I don't. She might be more useful alive then dead. So instead I follow through with the punch. She gets knocked to the ground from the force of the hit. I look down at her and sigh with relief. She's out cold, and won't be singing again anytime soon. I slowly allow the wall of fire to diminish and pull the ear plugs out. My breath is ragged and sweat clings to my skin.

Looking towards the others I give a small thumbs up. Everyone smiles a little, except for Jack who is still pretty out of if. Everyone takes their ear plugs out so we can talk to one another. Before we start the congratulations, however, I ask Sandy to keep her knocked out with the dream sand. He does so willingly after I tell him it's so she doesn't have a chance to sing. I do _not_ want to have that experience again anytime in the near future. Tooth approaches me first. She grabs me by the wrists and pulls me into an overly tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispers into my ear before letting me go. When she pulls back I think I see tears in her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, I smile at her.

"I'm just glad that you're still here." I reply. She pulls me into another hug before she goes to see how Jack is doing. My breathing has mostly returned to normal when I plop myself down on the grass. The adrenaline high I was on is now wearing off, leaving me completely exhausted.

"Ya know, you're a reckless one don't ya?" Aster asks as he approaches me. "Ya almost outran me back there." He adds. I laugh and look up at him.

"Oh come on. I just wanted to make sure that you didn't get slow in your old age." I tease him. He crouches down in front of me and his eyes meet mine. His expression changes into a more serious one.

"Are ya okay, Shelia? For awhile there I thought ya weren't gonna make it out of here.." He remarks.

"I was lucky to have guys here. I probably wouldn't be if you and Sandy hadn't stepped in when you did." I reply. "Thank you." I add after a couple of seconds. He nods.

"That's what we do. We protect each other no matter what." He says softly. His hand reaches out towards me, but hesitates. He begins to pull away but I laugh and grab it. Then I pull him into a warm hug. It's not as tight as Tooth's hugs, but still fairly strong. Aster's body tenses and I'm worried that I've overstepped a boundary, but soon he relaxes and returns the hug. When we pull away we're both smiling at each other.

"You two friends again?" North asks happily as he approaches us. I look at Aster and we both smile.

"Friends." We say together.

* * *

 **A/N So, I hope you guys liked the chapter. I'm not really good at writing action scenes but I hope that it was okay. As always, if you liked it please let me know. ^.^ Oh, also, this is NOT the last chapter. I still have plans! Mwahahaha. Anyway, stay awesome!**


	8. Party time

**A/N I'm back with another chapter! I have to say that I'm really happy about the way that this story is turning out. ^-^ Anyway, enjoy**!

* * *

"Any ideas of what to do with her?" Tooth asks, pointing towards the women laying on the ground. I glance behind me and lean back on my arms.

"Well, we should keep her close until everyone that went missing turns up. Just in case." I respond. Everyone nods in agreement. "The more important question is _where_ do we keep her?" I inquire. This is going to be up to the guardians. I don't have a home base, so I won't be keeping her with me. They'll have to work it out for themselves.

"Why don't we keep her at North's place? If Sandy is willing, we can borrow some sleeping dust to keep her sedated. If we need to talk to her we'll just have to be cautious about it. Some one'll have to wear earplugs so they can knock her out again if she starts singing or whatever." Jack suggests, now standing about ten feet away from me. I nod my head in response, because it's a pretty good plan. To be honest, though, I'm mostly just too excited to even care about what happens next.

I still can't believe that we've won! We actually beat this by working together as a team. I grow quite and revel in my happiness. I enjoy watching the guardians talk excitedly about everything that occurred, and also apologizing for some of the same reasons. Jack was mainly the one apologizing, but everyone forgave him almost instantly. Tooth is hugging everyone, while North keeps trying to get a high five from Aster. As I watch the five of them together I feel an overwhelming fondness for these people. I've never been one to have many friends, but these guys have grown on me in the past few days. I see them as something starting to resemble friends. Maybe it's just the excitement high talking, who knows.

The only thing that really matters is that we're all still alive. Some of us worse for wear and tear, but still alive. We made it through this. Now I can understand why Manny chose these five to become guardians. They really do care for one another, and not just because they're bonded through their oaths. I think that I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to fight along side them. Somehow, they've shown me that I don't have to always be alone to really be free. In fact, being alone feels more like a prison now. I guess I was just used to it? I don't know, but I defiantly make a mental not to at least start talking to some other people. If I can find even one friend who's as loyal as these guys are to each other, I will indeed be lucky.

"I think we deserve to celebrate!" Tooth exclaims as she flitters about a foot off the ground.

"I'll agree with that. We can do it at my place, so that River can come if she wants." Aster recommends. Everyone looks at me expectantly.

"Why not? I don't have anything else to do tonight." I say with a smile.

"Jack and I'll drop her off," North says, gesturing to the women on the ground, "Then we meet you there!"

"Okay, but somebody has to help me up first." I say laughing. I hold out my hand and Tooth excitedly grabs it. She helps me up and I'm surprised. Tooth is stronger than she looks. I pat her on the shoulder and say a quick thanks. After North and Jack disappear through a portal that North opened up with a snow globe, Aster thumps his foot on the ground twice. Gravity pulls the four of us downwards. A giddy laugh escapes my throat as Sandy, Tooth, Aster, and I slide along the underground tunnel.

When we finally excite the tunnel, we're all deposited onto the ground in a frenzied clump. Our limbs are tangled together in an absolute mess. We all start trying to pull ourselves free, but somehow we only manage to get even more tangled. I start laughing at how silly we must all look, and soon Tooth starts laughing with me. Aster is the first one to successfully stand up. He turns around with an amused smile gracing his features. He bends over and starts to untie us like someone would untie a shoelace. Soon enough we're all standing separately from each other, even though Tooth and I are still giggling to each other.

We follow Aster towards his house, and he holds the door open as we walk inside. Aster excuses himself for a moment to grab some drinks for everyone. Sandy and Tooth make themselves comfortable, and I wonder how many times they've been here to celebrate. Sandy sits on one of the two chairs. There's also a couch. I can't stop myself from pondering how much time Aster himself spends in this room. I just can't picture him reclining out on the couch after a long day of work. I chuckle to myself and walk over to where Tooth is now sitting on the couch. I plop myself down on the ground in front of her.

"Hey River, will you show me how you did that fireball thing?" Tooth asks. I look over my shoulder at her.

"Sure." I reply. I hold up my left hand and summon a small flame. Tooth's looking intently at it as I make it grow until it's about the size of a baseball. The fire is reflecting in her eyes, and she smiles.

"That's really cool!" She exclaims. I opened my mouth to respond, but Aster walks into the room before I can.

"Oi! Ya better not set anythin' on fire!" Aster warns as he eyeballs the flame. I roll my eyes.

"That happened _one_ time!" I exclaim sarcastically as I extinguish the flame. I laugh and turn back around as Aster begins handing us glasses that he's filled up with... Something. I honestly have no idea what this is, but it smells strong. I take a small sip and begin coughing as it burns my throat.

"Little too strong for ya Shelia?" He jokes. I try to glare at him, but end up laughing at myself instead.

I can already tell that it's going to be a good night. Soon after we've all settled down, Jack and North arrive. Jack sits on the opposite end of the room as I am, while North takes one of the chairs. Everyone begins joking and chatting with each other. Tooth and I settle into a good session of girl talk before we decided that it would be a good idea to start ranking the men based on cuteness. Everyone thought it was pretty funny. After about the third drink my brain started to go fuzzy. I somehow lost my ability to talk properly, but I couldn't care less. The other's were in the same shape as I was.

After a few hours of laughing at each other, we decided to call it quits for tonight. After all, some of us still had to work tomorrow. Everyone stumbled to get up and we all hugged each other. Tooth told me that I needed to come by more often and I promised that I would. We all started to walk out the door one by one. I was the last in line to leave, but I didn't even make it all the way out the door when Aster called me back. I walked back towards him and leaned over the back of the couch.

"Yep?" I asked with my face pressed against the couch cushions.

"Are ya okay?" He asked with an amused tone. I gave him a thumbs up as I giggled to myself. "Why don't ya stay here tonight?" He asked, a little more seriously. I pushed myself off the couch enough to look at him.

"What?" I asked. My brain is no longer working, so I didn't fully process what he just asked me.

"Stay here tonight. We have to meet up tomorrow anyway.." He trails off. I pause as my brain finally comprehends what he said.

"Sounds good ta me." I say with a shrug. I'm way to far gone to even care at this point. Aster get's up and begins to gather the cups that everyone used. That last thing I remember doing is rolling over the back of the couch to lay down on the cushions. I fall asleep without a second thought.

* * *

 **A/N Guys, I think I'm getting sick.. In the middle of the summer.. Joy! lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay awesome!**


	9. The morning after

**A/N Hello everyone! I want to take this time to apologize for this chapter. It started out as one thing and then took on a life of it's own. lol. Also, I absolutely hate writing dialogue and I am not good at it. Please excuse me now. Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Ugh... My head feels like I left it laying down in the middle of a busy street. Even the slightest of sounds sends my head into a throbbing mess. I feel so sick to my stomach that moving isn't even an option right now. I'm just glad that I'm still enveloped in darkness, even if it is because I have a blanket over the top of me. I'm laying on my right side with my sprained arm carefully tucked next to me. My left hand is near my temple, while I keep my eyes closed. I'm not looking to worsen the pounding in my temples. So I'm just going to stay here until it calms down... That sounds nice.

"Oi, Shelia. Ya awake yet?" Aster calls to me from somewhere else in the house. I cringe as a few sharp waves of pain roll through my head, and I let out a groan. I hear soft laughing, but I'm too sick to care. Unfortunately I don't have a choice but to respond to him, because he decides to pull the blanket off of me. I wince and try to get away from the light. The movement causes my stomach to lurch and I groan once again. I hear more of the soft chuckling, but still don't open my eyes. A paw comes to my shoulder and I practically growl at him before he has a chance to shake me.

"Ya do realize that we got work to do today, right?" He asks. I didn't even want to entertain that idea.

"Go. Away." I mumble, trying to put emphasis on the words.

"You're a bloody lightweight, ya know that?" He pokes. When I don't respond he continues on to say, "Alright. I'll be right back. I got somethin' that'll help." As soon as he moves away, I revel in the peace and quite. It's short lived though, because I hear him come back into the room a few minutes later. I hear a glass being set down as well as something else, but I'm not sure what it is. I open one of my eyes cautiously, ready to snap it back shut if the light's too bright. Fortunately it's not all that bright in here. I watch through one eye as Aster puts a small waste basket by the couch, and I'm incredibly thankful that he thought to do that. He straightens up and looks down at me.

"Alright, sit up. Ya can't drink while you're lyin' down." He says. I moan in discomfort, but decide to try and go along with what he says. He's obviously not going to leave me alone until I do. I breath in through my nose and out through my mouth as I try settle my stomach down. Then I slowly put my weight onto my left hand. I push myself away from the couch, even though my head starts pounding because of the effort. I manage to get into a sitting position without my stomach lurching too much. I take a few more breathes before I take the glass that Aster's holding out to me.

The cup is filled about halfway with a orange colored liquid. I smell it cautiously and cringe. This thing looks and smells horrible, so I think it's probably better if I don't ask what's in it. I close my eyes and take the first sip. It tastes about as good as it looks, which causes me to gag a little. I look at Aster, who's impatiently waiting for me to finish the drink with his arms crossed over his chest. I sigh and down as much of the sour liquid as I possibly can. I get most of it down before I have to stop to breath. After a few quick breaths I finish it off and sputter a little as I force it down my through. I hand the cup back to Aster before I lower my head into the palm of my left hand.

"Do we have to work today?" I ask. I feel a little better than when I first woke up, but not by much.

"Yes, we do." Aster replies. I groan again and feel the couch sink under his weight. I look over at him as he gets situated.

"How are you not sick?" I inquire. He laughs at my question, but answers it none-the-less.

"Pooka's have a naturally higher tolerance to alcohol than most other species." I shrug and nod. That sounds pretty reasonable to me.

"By the way, thanks for letting me crash here." I tell him after a couple of minutes. I reach over and squeeze his hand softly before letting go.

"I don't mind a bit, Shelia. You're always welcome here." He says with a soft smile on his lips. I return it and lean against the back of the couch. I sigh and let my eyes slide closed. My stomachs finally settling down enough for me to move without feeling too nauseous.

"I wish we didn't have to work today." I say one more time, because I _really_ don't want to move. I don't even bother opening my eyes as I talk.

"Ya know that we do. We're already behind schedule as it is." He says before adding, "But I guess we could hang out for an hour or two. We do have the whole day after all." I finally look back at him and smile brightly.

"Thanks. What _do_ you usually do when you relax anyway?" I ask. He thinks for a moment before answering.

"Well, I usually read or do some sketchin'. I keep pretty busy though, so I haven't had much time for that.." He trails off. I resiuate myself to face him more fully.

"You sketch? I always knew you had a thing for painting eggs, but I didn't know the artistic blood ran that deep." He nods in response to my question. "What do you sketch?" I ask, and I honestly thought it was going to be something along the lines of flowers.

"I sketch a lot of things. The moon, trees, rivers. I like doin' landscapes." He tells me.

"You'll have to show me your work sometime. If it's as good as the eggs you paint then you'll have at least one fan." I compliment.

"I ain't that good." He responds rather shyly. I smile and bite my bottom lip. "Anyway, what do ya like doin'?" He asks, obviously eager to get off the subject. Now it's my turn to think.

"Well, fireworks are usually pretty fun. Especially around the fourth of July and all other celebrations. Watching the colors explode across the sky... I don't know how to describe it without sounding absolutely crazy." I say with a short laugh.

"Ya always sound crazy." Aster remarks sarcastically with a smirk on his face. I playfully punch him in the shoulder before I return his amused grin. The conversation carries on that way for awhile. We both just simply share our lives with the other, and it's pretty nice. I enjoy learning new things about Aster and he seems pretty curious himself. We tell each other about ourselves for about an hour. By then I was feeling a million times better than I was when I first woke up, so we agreed to hit the road. We spend the rest of the day talking up a storm as we work to catch the seasonal shift back up.

* * *

 **A/N I already apologized for this, but I want to say it one more time! I am sooooo sorry for everything this chapter is. lol. I hope that you've enjoyed it anyway. Stay awesome guys.**


End file.
